However ugly the Taliban may be, there is a truly perverse sense of deja vu in watching British troops battle Pashtun insurgents. This would actually be "fourth time as farce," given that there were three Anglo-Afghan Wars [2] in the "Great Game" period (which is manifestly back on again). At least 12 insurgents—and, oh yeah, two children—are reported dead in British-led airstrikes by international forces on Musa Qala, a town in Helmand province which was taken [3] by the Taliban earlier this year. One British solider was also killed in the battle for Musa Qala. The campaign to re-take the stronghold is dubbed "Operation Mar Karadad," and also includes US, Dutch, Danish and Estonian forces. (Radio Netherlands [4], AFP [5], Dec. 9; DPA [6], Dec. 8)
This is not the first time [7] British troops have been accused of killing Afghan children. When Britain announced it would begin withdrawing troops from Iraq earlier this year, it simultaneously announced it was sending more [8] troops to Afghanistan.
Is this the Fourth Anglo-Afghan War? And, as we've asked before, does Hamid Karzai grasp the irony? [9] If he knows his history, he knows that Afghan leaders who connive with the Brits generally wind up getting overthrown and/or assassinated (Shah Shuja [10], 1839; Amir Habibullah [11], 1919)...
See our last posts on Afghanistan [12], civilian casualties [13], and the UK [14].
